Unexpected
by CelesteFitzgerald
Summary: Since childhood, JJ had told his soulmate everything about his life. JJ's soulmate on the other hand was not one for sharing. They turned down all of JJ's offers to meet up. But JJ knew they still cared and that they would meet eventually. He didn't know that "eventually" would be at the Grand Prix Final. Soulmate AU where what you write on your skin shows up on your soulmate's.


Notes:

Soulmate AU where whatever you write on your skin shows up on your soulmate's.

(I looked up so much information about the Grand Prix Final, but could not for the life of me figure out what day the banquet is on. I know that the free skate/victory ceremony is on the second-to-last day, and the exhibition performances are on the last day, but I don't know which of those days the banquet is. I wrote this assuming that it was the day of the exhibitions, but please correct me if I got it wrong! It's not crucial to the plot, but I wanted to make the schedule as accurate as possible.)

* * *

Unexpected

JJ has always loved the idea of soulmates. He loved knowing that somewhere out there was his other half, the person he would spend the rest of his life with. Like so many other people, he constantly tried to contact his soulmate by writing messages for them on his arm every day, even multiple times a day. Thanks to the rapid and accessible modes of transportation in the modern world, many people had gotten into the habit of telling their soulmate their name and location so they could meet as fast as possible. JJ was no exception. Since childhood, he had told his soulmate everything about his life: his name, what his family was like, how he was doing in school, and—of course—updates on his skating career.

JJ's soulmate on the other hand was not one for sharing. After a lifetime of conversations, all JJ knew about his soulmate was that English wasn't their first language and that they never missed the live streams of JJ's competitions. They didn't write much, but they always listened patiently as JJ wrote paragraphs across their skin and they occasionally responded in one- or two-word phrases. The only time JJ could get them to talk more was after a competition when his soulmate would gush about how well JJ performed but also provide the occasional critique. JJ was impressed with how much his soulmate knew about figure skating. Clearly his soulmate was so devoted to him that they learned the ins and outs of figure skating just to support him—at least that was the explanation JJ gave to anyone who would listen.

Still, the two had never met, not due to a lack of effort on JJ's part. JJ had invited his soulmate to countless competitions over the years only to see the same, " _I'm sorry, I'm not ready yet_ ," scrawled out in response. His soulmate had been "not ready" for years now. As impatient as JJ usually was, his soulmate was the exception. He respected his soulmate's privacy and had faith that destiny would bring them together eventually. Still, he never gave up on asking and hoping for a different response.

His soulmate had of course turned down the offer to come see him at the Grand Prix Final, so JJ was passing the time in Barcelona with Isabella, his best friend and number-one fan. They were currently enjoying themselves in the hotel lobby with Yuri Plisetsky and his Angels. Teasing the young Russian had become one of his favorite pastimes.

JJ spotted a familiar man in sunglasses walking quietly toward the exit. "Otabek!" The two had briefly trained together while Otabek was in Canada, but they didn't consider each other to be friends. Otabek had been rather closed-off from the other skaters at the rink, and he had seemed particularly determined to avoid spending time with JJ. JJ had no hard feelings though, so he invited Otabek to join Isabella and himself for dinner. To no one's surprise, Otabek turned down the offer and left the hotel alone.

* * *

JJ woke up the next morning still a bit upset from the night before. He had overheard Victor announcing his and Yuuri's engagement at the restaurant and couldn't help but feel jealous that they had found their soulmate. Everything was going perfectly for them while JJ's soulmate still refused to share any meaningful information with him. He paced around his room to calm down, reminding himself to respect his soulmate's privacy and be patient, but as more and more of his competitors found their soulmates it was getting harder to do. Maybe he'd be able to relax during his warm-up.

As if his soulmate could tell he was stressing out, JJ noticed black ink appearing on his left arm.

 _Good luck today. Show me the best JJ Style you have :)_

JJ's heart fluttered. Miles away, his soulmate was thinking of him, and even drew a smiley face in a rare display of emotion. He wrote back a quick _Thank you!_ surrounded by five hearts. With his confidence restored, he kissed his soulmate's words of encouragement, put on his jacket, and left his hotel room.

* * *

After watching Yuuri put his hand down during his quadruple flip in the short program, JJ felt his confidence come back. Apparently getting engaged to his soulmate hadn't given Yuuri any boost in his skating. JJ could win easily, even with Yuri Plisetsky's new record. JJ cleared his mind of thoughts of his competitors. Otabek had just finished his performance and it was time for JJ to enter the rink.

That's when it happened. For the first time, Otabek actually appeared to be paying JJ some attention. As he left the rink, he stared directly at JJ, his cold eyes boring into JJ's. For some reason, JJ's heart skipped a beat. Was Otabek trying to intimidate him? JJ laughed as he reached the center of the rink. It would take much more than that to defeat the king.

The music started and JJ began skating to the familiar lyrics. He had cleared his mind again and was completely focused. As usual, he geared up to impress his adoring fans with his first combination. While he was approaching his take-off point he caught a glimpse of Otabek watching from the sideline. Suddenely, the image of Otabek's eyes on his returned to his mind and wouldn't leave. Before he realized what was happening, he felt his feet hitting the ice. He had landed the jump, but couldn't complete the combination. Whatever, he'd add a combination in the second half.

But he never got the chance. Once he lost his concentration he couldn't get it back, and his jumps kept turning into singles. He struck his final pose in shock. What happened? He had never let the pressure get to him like that before. Everything that happened from then until he received his score was a blur. He tried not to look at the score. He knew it was bad, he didn't need to see it as a reminder.

Hearing his best friend lead a cheer for him cheered him up slightly, but his "JJ Style" was only half-hearted. Not only had he let down himself, his parents, and Isabella, but he had let down his soulmate. He knew they had seen his performance and would want to talk to him about it. For the first time in his life, JJ didn't want to talk to his soulmate. So he decided to avoid looking anywhere on his body until he was back in his hotel room that night.

* * *

Once he was safely back in his room, he knew he couldn't avoid looking at himself forever—as much as he wanted to. He slowly removed his jacket and forced his eyes to look down at his arm to see if there was any writing. Of course, there was. Multiple lines of it.

 _Is everything okay?  
JJ?  
It wasn't your best performance, but you were still the star of the show.  
…I'll be here for you if you want to talk._

Maybe it was the stress of the day or that fact that his soulmate still cared about him, but JJ felt tears begin to well up in his eyes. Yes, king JJ was actually crying. That wasn't something that happened every day. JJ wasn't used to this—the failure, the disappointment, the emotions. He didn't know how to talk to his soulmate about this. So he just sat there, rereading his soulmate's kind words.

A few tears fell onto his arm and smeared the ink. Immediately, JJ's soulmate noticed.

 _JJ? It's okay._

JJ was surprised. For his soulmate to have noticed that quickly, they must have been sitting and waiting. How long had they been waiting? JJ didn't know when his soulmate had written the first message. For all he knew they could have been waiting for hours. He sighed. It wouldn't be fair to his soulmate to keep them waiting any longer.

JJ picked up a pen and wrote the only thing he could come up with: _Hey._

He didn't have to wait long for a response: _I'm proud of you._

JJ raised his eyebrow in confusion. _Proud? Of what? I was a disaster._

Apparently his soulmate disagreed.

 _You kept going. Even when you made a mistake, you never gave up. The look I saw in your eyes—you were determined all the way to the end. I know you'll do better tomorrow in the free skate. But that's not what's most important. I enjoy watching you skate, but that's not why I love you. I love your confidence. I love your strength. I love your charm. Most of all, I love you. And I've never been prouder or luckier to be your soulmate._

The tears began falling again, but this time they were tears of joy. " _I love you."_ JJ's soulmate had never said that before. JJ, being the huge, sappy romantic that he was, had told his soulmate that he loved them many times over the years but never saw his soulmate return the words. JJ knew his soulmate cared about him, but as he read the last response over again he was amazed at just how much his soulmate cared. He shouldn't have avoided talking to his soulmate all day. He could have saved himself a lot of pain and embarrassing moping.

He wrote back, _I love you, too_ , and he had never meant it more. He added, _Thank you_. JJ smiled. With his soulmate by his side (in spirit, of course), there was nothing king JJ couldn't do.

* * *

JJ woke up the next morning not from the ringing of his alarm, but from a knock at the door. After taking one more minute to enjoy the warmth of the covers, he sighed and rolled out of bed. He was probably wasting his time checking the door. Someone probably bumped into it by mistake. Sure enough, there was no one at the door.

But there was a small box and a note at his feet. Picking it up, he smiled. One of his JJ Girls must have cleverly discovered his room number to sneak him a present. Well, he wasn't one to turn down a gift, even if the method of delivery was slightly questionable.

He opened the box first. Chocolate—his favorite. He'd save it for after the free skate; as much as he loved chocolate he didn't want to put something so unhealthy into his body a few hours before a performance. After opening the note, he saw that the fan had the same idea: _A prize for you after you win your medal._ It was nice to know that he had such a thoughtful fan who cared about his health as much as he—

Wait.

JJ recognized that handwriting. It was the same handwriting that he accidently smeared with his tears last night. His soulmate was _here?_

This time JJ didn't hesitate. He scrambled to grab his pen. _You're here? You're actually HERE? You told me you weren't going to come!_

 _…What?_

 _Really? We've been writing to each other for years. You don't honestly think I wouldn't recognize your handwriting, do you?_

 _…Oh fuck._

JJ laughed in shock. His soulmate actually did forget that he knew their handwriting. That's adorable. But more importantly, his soulmate was here. They had been outside his door, just a few feet away. He might have walked past them at the rink yesterday. How many other competitions had they been to? Has he talked to them before? JJ had so many questions to ask.

But he didn't. His soulmate still clearly wasn't ready for JJ to know who they were if they didn't want him to know they were at the competition. He didn't want to make them uncomfortable. So he reassured them that he wouldn't try to discover their identity, told them thank you for the chocolate, and—now that his alarm had finally gone off—began getting ready for the day.

In his excitement, he almost missed his soulmate's words of encouragement: _Good luck. I'll be cheering for you._

* * *

JJ arrived at the rink early, and decided to take the spare time before his warm-up to talk to his soulmate again. It might not be the best way to keep his focus, but it would help him relax. He wrote out a quick, _You there?_

A few minutes later he got a response. _Yeah. I didn't ask earlier—are you feeling better today?_

 _Yes, much better. Thank you for asking! If I can just stay calm and not let myself get intimidated by the competition, I'll be back better than ever!_ If he was talking to anyone other than his soulmate, he would be embarrassed to admit what had caused his breakdown yesterday, but he trusted them. And he wanted them to know.

 _Intimidated?_

 _Yeah, haha. As I was heading onto the ice to start my short program, Otabek Altin was glaring at me all angrily. Somehow I let that get to me and couldn't stop thinking about it. And the dumbest part is that it was probably totally unintentional. I mean, the guy never pays me any attention. Back when we used to train together he'd try so hard to avoid me. I probably just imagined the whole thing. It sounds so insignificant now that I say it. All he did was look at me. Well, I won't overreact today! Thanks for letting me talk about it. You always make me feel better :)_

JJ was expecting a fast response after his explanation. But his soulmate didn't respond until a minute before the warm-up began. In shaky handwriting, all they wrote was, _I'm so sorry_.

 _For what?_ JJ asked. It's not like it was their fault. And JJ had moved past it now and was feeling a lot more confident for the free skate. But his soulmate didn't respond, and he had to erase the words from his arm before entering the rink for warm-up.

Unfortunately, the talk with his soulmate hadn't relaxed him quite as much as he was hoping. He wondered if he had said something wrong, and he ended up falling a few times in his warm-up. At the end of the warm-up and right before his performance started, he peeked at his arm to see if his soulmate had responded. They hadn't.

He missed the beginning of the music and started his program a second late. But he had promised his soulmate that he would do better today. He remembered everything his soulmate told him the night before, and he started to regain his confidence. He could do this.

His jumps improved, and he even turned his last jump into a quadruple loop. As he finished his program, he stood proudly. He may have earned his chance at a medal after all.

* * *

Once Chris' performance was finished, the chance of JJ winning a medal was pretty good. As long as Otabek or Yuri scored lower than him he would be on the podium. But he still hadn't gotten a response from his soulmate, which put him back in a bad mood.

As Otabek entered the ice, it appeared that JJ wasn't the only the only one feeling under the weather. Otabek's usually stoic face seemed slightly sadder than normal. Or maybe JJ was just imagining things after his odd fixation with Otabek's eyes yesterday.

Otabek managed to pull off his program almost flawlessly, but something seemed to be slightly lacking. He just missed JJ's total, and with that, JJ had earned a spot on the podium. After Yuri Plisetsky's turn, he'd know whether he'd be wearing silver or bronze.

JJ's patience was fading and his concern was growing for his soulmate. He decided to try to contact them again. _Looks like I'll get to eat that chocolate soon._ When there was no response, he added, _Are you okay?_

He didn't get a response until after the victory ceremony. But the brief " _Congratulations"_ from his soulmate wasn't the response he was hoping for.

* * *

Later that night when all the skaters had returned to their hotel rooms, JJ tried again. _Hey. I'm sorry if I said something to upset you. I miss talking to you and want to make sure you're okay. Is there anything I can do? By the way, the chocolate is delicious._

His soulmate avoided the question again. _I'm glad you like the chocolate._

 _Please. I need to know that you're okay. I love you._

Five minutes later, his soulmate responded. _I've been better. But I can't explain. I'm sorry._

 _But I want to help you. Can't you tell me what's wrong?_

 _No._

The one-word responses had returned. JJ should have expected this. His soulmate had been way more talkative than usual over the past two days. His luck was bound to run out eventually. _Why not?_

Another pause. Then: _It would reveal too much. I'd have to tell you who I am._

Oh. That explains the sudden shyness. But how would it reveal who they are? He tried to figure it out. _Did I run into you at the rink and act rudely? Did I ignore you? Did I give you a mean look by accident?_

 _Haha._

JJ wasn't sure what was so funny about the suggestion, but he decided not to press the issue. _Whatever it was that I did, I'm very sorry. You know I care about you a lot and would never intentionally do anything to hurt you. Can you forgive me?_

 _You're not the one who should be asking for forgiveness._

By this point JJ was thoroughly confused. _What? If you're suggesting that there's something I need to forgive you for, you're wrong. You've been nothing but perfect to me this entire Grand Prix Final. I was able to do so well during my free skate because I was thinking of you. That sounds cheesy, but it's true. You gave me strength. You always do._

 _Glad I did one thing right._

JJ desperately tried to convince his soulmate that whatever imaginary thing they did wrong didn't matter, but they didn't respond for the rest of the night. Either they were ignoring him or they fell asleep. Before dozing off himself, JJ added a small " _I love you_ " with a heart so that his soulmate at least had something nice to wake up to in the morning.

* * *

Throughout the day of exhibitions, JJ kept thinking of his soulmate. Both of them seemed to be waiting for the other to speak first, so they hadn't exchanged any words all day. JJ wasn't even sure if they were still at the Finals. They may have left after the mysterious incident that supposedly happened yesterday. It was going to be hard for him to get through the banquet right now. Luckily, he had Isabella with him, but he hadn't told her about the current situation with his soulmate and talking about it now would just make him more upset. So he kept quiet and prepared himself for a long night.

"Is something wrong?" Isabella asked.

JJ sighed. "Not really, I just didn't sleep very well last night."

She rubbed his back. "Let's go find somewhere to sit down so you can rest."

"Thanks." He smiled. She smiled back. He was so lucky to have a friend like her.

They found a table near the corner of the room, as far away from the noisy crowd as possible. The table wasn't completely empty—Yuri and Otabek were sitting and talking—but that was fine with JJ. Even when he's stressed, he enjoys company. Especially when said company includes a certain easily-annoyed Russian.

JJ put on a smile. "Fancy seeing you here, Yuri-chan."

Yuri's smile immediately turned into a frown. "What do you want?" he snarled.

"I just wanted to spend some quality time with my favorite child." He winked.

Yuri jumped out of his chair, banging his fist on the table. "In case you've forgotten, this _child_ just won the gold, so you can shut the hell up." Isabella gasped in pretend horror at his language.

Meanwhile, Otabek sat silently, looking down at his glass. JJ smiled at him. "Congratulations, Otabek. You performed well yesterday. It was one of your best performances so far."

Otabek quietly muttered, "Thanks," without looking up. JJ almost thought he saw a faint blush appear on his cheeks, but if he had learned anything over the past few days, it was to not think about Otabek's face too much.

JJ attempted to continue the conversation. "Are you enjoying the banquet?"

Yuri interrupted. "We were until you showed up."

"Oh, I see. I'm not interrupting your date, am I?" JJ smirked. This time he was sure the blush on Otabek's face wasn't his imagination.

Yuri rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. He's too disgustingly in love with his soulmate to even think about anyone else." Otabek's blush didn't get any fainter with Yuri's words. JJ really needed to stop looking at him.

Isabella perked up. "Aw, who's your soulmate?"

Otabek hid his face in his hands and groaned. Yuri just laughed. "Good luck getting him to talk about that. All I've managed to find out is that the guy loves to talk. He apparently never shuts up when he's writing to Otabek. He sounds annoying."

Does JJ's soulmate think he's annoying? Right on cue, Otabek muttered, "He's not annoying."

"Whatever," scoffed Yuri. "At least I don't have to deal with him. Why do so many soulmates have to be so obnoxious? Like you two." He gestured at JJ and Isabella.

"Oh no, we're not soulmates," laughed Isabella. "We're just good friends. I could never compete with JJ's soulmate. He never shuts up about how great they are."

"Fantastic," Yuri said sarcastically. "Can we quit with all this soulmate crap now? Don't you have other people to go piss off?"

"No, I'm perfectly fine right here." JJ winked.

"Then maybe you should go to the bathroom and stare at your reflection in the mirror for an hour."

"As wonderful as that sounds, I'd rather let everyone else enjoy my good looks."

"Well then go get some damn food or something, just get the hell away from me!"

"What a coincidence, I already have some food right here." He pulled the box of half-eaten chocolate out of his jacket pocket. He knew it would come in handy.

Yuri was not amused. "Seriously? Can't you eat that crap somewhere else?"

"This isn't 'crap.' It was a gift—a delicious gift." He took a bite to prove his point.

Yuri paused, then turned to Otabek who was looking more distressed than ever. "I swear to God this better just be some freak coincidence."

JJ and Isabella looked at each other. "What?"

"Otabek woke up stupidly early yesterday to go buy that same dumb brand of chocolate. And when I asked him if he'd share, he said no because it was a gift for someone. Who's even here that you'd want to give—hey, where are you going?"

Otabek was already halfway to the bathroom.

Yuri turned to glare at JJ. "I don't know what just happened, but I'm blaming you for it….Wait, what's wrong with you? What's that weird look for?"

A crazy thought had entered JJ's mind. But that was impossible. Yuri had to be right; it was just a coincidence. But it would explain the weird way Otabek and his soulmate had been acting recently. But he had to know for sure. "Excuse me," he stammered, jumping up from his seat and running after Otabek. He ignored the expletives Yuri yelled after him.

He paused just outside the bathroom door. There was a chance he was about to meet his _soulmate_. Yes, he had talked to Otabek many times before, but never like this. He had no idea how to start this converstation. He had a feeling that "Hi Otabek, nice night isn't it, oh by the way are you my soulmate?" wouldn't go over very well.

He couldn't come up with the right words. But he couldn't wait any longer. He took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

He saw no one there. But one of the stall doors was closed. "Otabek?" he called out. No answer. He had expected as much. But he still wasn't sure what to say next.

Unless he didn't have to _say_ anything. He had stuck a pen into his pocket just in case his soulmate finally wrote him back. He took it out and wrote the shortest message he'd ever written.

 _Hi_. He may have just imagined it, but he thought he heard a sharp intake of breath from inside the stall after he finished writing. He waited. But there was no response. Maybe he was wrong. Or—the thought struck him—maybe Otabek doesn't have a pen.

He could take a risk. He could slide the pen under the door. But there was still a chance that Otabek wasn't his soulmate, in which case that action would be extraordinarily weird. JJ decided that kings weren't afraid to take risks, and pushed the pen under.

Silence. Then, the sound of the pen being picked up. JJ stared at his arm.

Waiting.

 _Hi_.

In the same ink of JJ's own writing.

JJ let out the breath he didn't know he was holding. "Oh my God. Oh my God, Otabek, it's really you!" JJ had never been happier. He found his soulmate! He had been within his reach for so long, but he finally found him. He leaned his head against the stall door. "I love you so much," he whispered. It felt amazing to be able to say that out loud.

Otabek unlocked the door. JJ stepped back and looked down at him. There were a few tears in Otabek's eyes, and he kept his eyes focused on the floor. But the corners of his lips were turned up in the tiniest hint of a smile.

JJ moved forward and took Otabek into his arms, holding him close. "I'm so glad it's you," JJ said.

Finally, Otabek reacted. He lifted his arms and wrapped them around JJ, resting his head on his shoulder. They stood there for a moment, just enjoying each other's presence.

Then, Otabek broke the silence. "I'm sorry."

JJ stepped back. "What? For what?" JJ had never felt more perfect and complete. Did Otabek not feel the same?

Otabek took a deep breath and let the words out all at once. "Your short program—I didn't know—I didn't mean—my fault—"

Oh, right. If Otabek was his soulmate, that meant he straight- up told him that he was the cause of his self-destruction in the short program. Oops.

"Otabek." JJ lifted Otabek's chin with his hand until their eyes met. Otabek began blushing furiously. Maybe that was too much, too fast, JJ thought. He dropped his hand down to Otabek's arm. "You have nothing to apologize for. You didn't do anything wrong. All you did was look at me. It's my own fault for letting myself think about you during my whole program….Wow, this is all making so much more sense now that I know we're soulmates." He chuckled. Then he quietly added, "We're really soulmates."

Otabek finally smiled a true smile for a second. "You're really not mad?"

"No! This is the best day of my entire life, how could I be mad?"

Otabek smiled again. But he still had more he needed to say. "Thank you. For waiting, I mean. I know you wanted to know more about me and meet me sooner. But you didn't push when I said I wasn't ready. That means a lot. And—I hope you knew that I wasn't keeping secrets because I didn't want to talk, or because I didn't care about you, or…I really like you, JJ. I always have. I love listening to you, and hearing about your life." He looked down nervously. "And, um, maybe someday, I can share that life with you."

Who knew Otabek was secretly such a hopeless romantic? JJ entwined their fingers together. "I'd like that."

At that moment, the two were unfortunately reminded that this was a public restroom when the door was slammed open. A familiar voice yelled at them. "What the hell have you two been doing in here this whole…" Yuri's eyes caught sight of their clasped hands.

"Oh no," Otabek muttered.

"…WHAT THE FUCK?!"


End file.
